The moment George Lucas decided to continue the monumental tale of “Star Wars” beyond the original trilogy, he ignited a generations-long struggle between fans for ownership of the story he created. The just-released trailer for “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker” is a sign that the franchise, now in the hands of Disney, is going to grapple with the existential crisis of the “Star Wars” story: Can we finally move on from the past of “Star Wars?” Who are all these movies, books, comics, and TV shows really for? The lack of clarity here has been a series of speed bumps for the newest “Star Wars” films, pitting the spirit of nostalgia against an insistence on the importance of moving forward.
The protagonist Rey assumed the full weight of this conflict, and “Star Wars” appears to understand this. The question of Rey’s parentage has been all that matters to fans and to the character herself; she exists in a shadow of a legend. The 2017 release “The Last Jedi,” directed by Rian Johnson, suffered through one of the largest backlashes in “Star Wars” history for dressing down the legendary Luke Skywalker to revealing weakness. It showed us that heroes are fallible, but what they represent is often timeless.
“The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” are full of hero worship on both the light and dark sides. Kylo Ren, Snoke, and First Order are Darth Vader-Empire wannabes who’ve idealized a lie about the past. The resistance and its heroes are all trying to emulate the legend and virtue of the Rebel Alliance, even bearing their iconic emblem. Everyone is a faker, wrapping themselves in the achievements, deeds, and essence of their idols. “Star Wars” fans tend to complain about the cyclical nature of the trilogies, the nostalgia and the callbacks, but that’s the point of it all.
Our own world is nothing if not preoccupied with the past. This is unfortunate — not because the past doesn’t hold knowledge and wisdom, but because the versions of the past we hold dear are often simplified, and in some cases outright fiction. How else can you arrive at a time of unprecedented wealth, health, equality, and prosperity in the United States and wind up with a winning presidential campaign declaring a need to “make America great again”? Or a Democratic presidential field racing to rebrand “socialism” and peddle 1900s-esque appeals to breaking up alleged monopolies and concentration of wealth?
It all makes the “Star Wars” rehash of storm troopers, a masked villain in black, and a lonely kid on a desert planet seem original.
It’s tough to criticize the new “Star Wars” films too harshly for hearkening to the past when meanwhile, in real life, street fights are breaking out between neo-Nazis and supposed anti-fascists. It all makes you want to ask: What year is it?
Despite every election being called a “change election,” none of it is ever new. We seem caught in perpetual reevaluation of what the 20th century meant, what the lessons were, and who the heroes really are. Fundamentalist religion, radical political movements, and demagogues always point us to the past when we should be looking to the future.
“Star Wars” of late has been trying to tell us to move on, and “The Rise of Skywalker” is going to do something drastic to make sure fans get the message.
So no, the Jedi likely aren’t coming back, and Rey probably won’t be revealed as a member of the Skywalker family. What it means to be a Skywalker is going to change, and it must, if the feedback loop of this saga is ever going to stop.
If you look around our world today and feel like every fight is an echo of centurieslong past conflicts, you’re right. Collectively, we have a hard time letting things go.
The problem with moving ahead is choosing what to take with you. Rey took the ancient Jedi texts from Luke Skywalker’s library before it burned to the ground in “The Last Jedi,” and the “Rise of Skywalker” trailer indicates that she carries that knowledge with her, but perhaps nothing more than that. If we could settle as a country on the lessons that should be learned from our own history, that would be something miraculous. Even more so if we could agree on the guiding principles, governing documents, and ancient wisdom that will guide us.
A belief in the virtue of the old ways, but a willingness to embrace institutional change — that might be what makes you a Skywalker.
Who is “Star Wars” for? It’s for those who believe in the power of the force that surrounds and binds us all together. We are all Skywalkers now, or at least we can be after “The Rise of Skywalker.”
Stephen Kent (@Stephen_Kent89) is the spokesperson for Young Voices and host of Beltway Banthas, a Star Wars & politics podcast in D.C.
